Sign on the Door
by IrenaAdler
Summary: Don's boyfriend, Will OMC , meets Alan and Charlie for the first time. Set in my 'Watson'verse' but A/N included at beginning of Pt 1 should help anyone to understand the story. Pt. 5, Will rides a roller-coaster of emotions.
1. Ch 1: Will Makes a Casual Request

**A/N: **I know it's rude to have my first real fic on my return from 'maternity leave' be not any of the WIPs I left hanging, but rather a second POV by an OC of an old story. I hope to return to the WIPs soon. I also hope that pigs will fly and my baby boys will sleep through the night.

**Placement: Watson 'verse, **during chapters 23 & 24 of **Looking for Love **(a story which is not posted on FF due to being rated NC-17)

**If you're not familiar with Watson 'verse, what you need to know for this story: **Don and Colby had a secret relationship. That ended when Charlie and Colby got kidnapped together and acknowledged their feelings for each other. This sent Don into a severe depression where he did some dumb things which almost cost him his job and his life. He was rescued by Will (OMC), who had helped Don find Colby & Charlie's kidnappers and had kept an eye on him since.

* * *

_  
Then you came in like the lightnin' from the sky_

_Pickin' up the pieces in the middle of the night_

_I cried 'oh baby, I'm broken_

_There's a price you're gonna pay'_

_And you jumped in the fire and you saved me anyway_

Kasey Chambers, "Sign on the Door"

**Part 1 – Will Makes a Casual Request**

When Will turned onto his street, he got a little thrill of anticipation. Don's car was parked in his driveway. Don was already home and waiting for him. _Don was waiting for him._ Will didn't try to resist the smile splitting his face. It was incredible the happiness that little thought gave him. Just two weeks ago Will had been alone, working on his pitching with the faint hope of seeing Don again. Now Don was here, at his house, and they'd spent the last two and a half weeks together, in every sense of the word. Will was starting to lose track of how many times Don had told him that he loved him, and that was a good thing. Maybe someday soon, Will could actually believe it.

Will pulled into the driveway beside Don's car and a line from a Kasey Chambers song came to him, 'I got a sign on the door, that says lonely don't live here anymore'. The rest of the song was pretty appropriate, too – something about being broken but his lover jumping in the fire and saving him anyway.

Will grabbed the mail from the mailbox and unlocked the door. He opened up the door and smiled again to see Don sitting on the couch, his shoes off and a beer already in his hand. _The man does like his beer._

"Hey babe," Will said, dropping his stuff on a side table. He went and sat next to Don while he looked through his mail. _Bills, junk, junk, junk._ "Hard day?"

"Aren't they all?" Don said, resting his hand on Will's thigh in a comfortable, casual way that warmed Will's heart. "But Charlie came through for us like always."

_Ah yes, your amazing brother._ Will smiled, remembering that scene in the bottom of the pit, when Don had found his brother alive. He had no doubt that Don loved his brother, and that kind of family might be worth knowing. Unlike his own. "So when am I going to meet this family of yours?"

Don's hand clenched on Will's thigh and Will looked up in surprise. Don looked frozen. Will slowly added, "I'd like to meet Charlie in particular."

Don's jaw bunched and his face went blotchy. He snapped, "I don't want you to meet my brother."

Baffled, Will asked, "Why not?" Maybe Don wasn't as ready to come out as a couple as Will had hoped. "Are you still ashamed …?"

Don hung his head, not looking at Will. Finally, he mumbled, "I don't want to lose you."

Will stared at him, trying to comprehend what Don was saying. He thought that his brother was competition? It was true that Charlie had taken Colby away from Don, but that was Colby's problem. "I'm not into skinny little boys, no matter how smart they are."

Don gave a bitter laugh that hurt to hear. "That's what people say until they meet him and then it's 'he's adorable' and 'he's irresistible' and 'he's the sweetest lay'."

Will shook his head. Don was so wonderful that Will forgot that he had a serious inferiority complex in relation to his genius brother. Will gently lifted up Don's chin so that he could look into his eyes. "He's not gonna take me away from you. I've already put too much work into you."

Don's eyes were dark with despair and he pressed his lips together, as if holding back tears. He leaned forward and kissed Will, hard and desperately.

Will pulled back and stared at Don. It didn't look like words were going to make Don believe. He needed to nip this in the bud. "I can see I'm going to need to meet your family very soon."

Don's eyes widened in panic. "No, they're busy this weekend and—"

"Very soon," Will said firmly. "And show you that I can resist your siren of a little brother."

Don grimaced and his hand clenched around Will's thigh.

"How about tonight?" Will said. "We can go over for dinner."

"No, Charlie's busy and … I'm sure my dad is too."

"Don," Will snapped, "I am a trained investigator and you're not lying very well. I'll bet your dad has already invited you over for supper tonight."

Don closed his eyes, pain written across his face. Will sympathized, but … Did Don think so little of him that he thought Will would go for the next pretty boy to come along? Hadn't he proved that he loved Don yet? Or did Don think that Will fell out of love as easily as he had fallen into it? Don had no idea how many men Will had searched through before he'd found Don. And now Don thought he was going to dump him for his skinny, selfish little brother.

Suddenly angry, Will pushed Don's hand away. "And if you're so goddamned sure I'm gonna jump ship, then we better find out now." He stood up, his jaw clenched. "Get your shoes."

Following Don, Will walked out of the house in a very different mood than when he'd arrived minutes before. They got into Don's car and drove for a few moments in tense silence. Abruptly, Don turned into a parking lot and switched off the car. He kept his eyes on the steering wheel and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry. I'm just …"

Will waited, but Don seemed unable to finish the sentence. _Just what? Just an idiot for thinking that I'd be more interested in Charlie?_ Will's dark humor suddenly bubbled up and he began to laugh. It was so absurd. The shocked expression on Don's face only made him laugh harder.

He tried to explain that to the glaring Don. "I always thought … that if a boyfriend … would be afraid to take me home to meet his family …" He gulped for air. "That it would be because he's gay and doesn't … know how his parents will react … to him bringing home a man. Not because … he was afraid his … gay brother would ... snatch me up." He gave Don a big smile, willing him to see the oddness of the situation.

Slowly, Don began to smile in response. He shrugged. "My family has never been normal."

"No, no, I'd say not," Will said, wiping his eyes.

Don took a moment and put an obvious effort into shaking off his mood. He reached over to Will. "Come on. Let's go show my family what a gorgeous guy I netted."

Will's smile slipped a little as he was reminded of how he'd carried Don's bloody body out of the Chamber wrapped in towels. "I seem to recall that it was me doing the netting."

"Maybe so," Don said, cheerfully enough so that Will knew Don wasn't thinking of that night. "But it was me who had the great good sense to allow myself to get caught."

There was no response to that but for Will to roll his eyes. Don smiled and turned the car back on.

Back on the road, Don looked more relaxed. Will put his hand on Don's shoulder, wanting to keep Don that way. Tension would only make the upcoming meeting worse.

Now that Don had calmed down a little, Will could focus his attention on the imminent family introduction. He began to mentally review all that he knew about Alan and Charlie Eppes, looking for weaknesses, angles of attack. He ran through scenarios, calculated responses, and sorted through strategies until he came up with a battle plan. This was one fight he couldn't afford to lose.


	2. Ch 2: Will Makes an Impression

_Open up the sky  
All gather around  
Praise the Lord and  
Take a look at what I found  
I got love that's as big as raging storm  
I got walls coming down that I don't need no more  
I got a sign on the door that says, 'Lonely don't live here anymore'_  
Kasey Chambers, "Sign on the Door"

**Part 2 – Will Makes an Impression**

Don and Will pulled into the driveway of a very nice Craftsman house. The pictures that Will had seen didn't do it justice. Don turned off the car and sat there for a moment, breathing deeply.

Don finally unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "Here we go…"

Will followed Don up the sidewalk. Will was struggling to assume his undercover mindset, to be what he needed to be to survive the next hour. Usually, that was one of the things he loved about Don, his ability to let Will be himself. Will spent most of his time as other people, most of his time as one artificial persona or another, but Don stripped that away and made the naked Will underneath feel _real_. However, the naked Will was feeling very exposed right now. He grimaced and reached once again for his training.

Too soon, Don opened the front door and called, "Dad? Charlie?"

"Donnie!" An older man came out of the kitchen, wearing a pair of mitten potholders. _Alan Eppes, father, once-anti-war radical, retired city planner. Don said he wasn't surprised when Don told him he was bisexual. Let's see how he reacts when confronted by concrete proof. _

Mr. Eppes stopped short and Will made himself smile. Mr. Eppes eyed him and pulled off his potholders. "Hi. I don't think we've met."

"Dad, this is Will, Will Stevens. He's my …"

Will was so distracted by the adorable sight of Agent Don Eppes blushing, that he didn't immediate realize that Don hadn't finished his sentence. Multiple possibilities flitted through Will's mind, but he settled on the simplest.

"'Boyfriend' is the word he's looking for," Will said, grimacing internally at the defiance in his voice.

"Yeah," Don mumbled and Will wondered uneasily if he'd gone too fast. Had they used the word 'boyfriend' with each other yet? Well, it was out there now.

"Ah," Mr. Eppes said, his voice cool, his eyes appraising. He politely reached out a hand. "Nice to meet you." His grip tightened painfully on Will's hand and Will resisted the urge to squeeze back.

Unaware of the power struggle, Don said, "Dad, this is the friend from the DEA who … helped me when I got into trouble."

Mr. Eppes's attitude changed completely, from distance and wariness to warmth and gratitude. "Oh!" He took Will's hand in both of his and his grip was now friendly. "Thank you."

"Umm, you're welcome," Will responded.

With a start, Will realized that when Don had first introduced them, Mr. Eppes had thought that _Will _was the one who'd beaten and tortured Don. That, until Don had said that it was Will who helped him, that Mr. Eppes thought Don was still so broken that he was now bringing home his tormentor. Had Will missed signs that Don was still that messed up? Was he just seeing in Don what he wanted to see?

Don walked inside and Will followed automatically. With the ease of long familiarity, Don began shedding jacket, keys, badge and gun on a side table. Mr. Eppes made a cook's sound of dismay and turned back to the kitchen. Don thumbed through the mail in a green bowl while Will looked around.

Will hardly registered what he looked at while he worried about what Mr. Eppes might know. Will was aware that Don had been damaged, he had demonstrated that very well in the Chamber, but Will had hoped that Don had healed some, had gotten over the shock of discovering his bisexuality and the loss of his boyfriend to his brother. Will knew that the Don he had seen at the Chamber was an aberration, and that Don was normally strong and confident. He'd thought that Don had regained a lot of his swagger in the last few months. Was it just wishful thinking on Will's part?

Under his breath, Will murmured his relaxation mantra from Aikido. He wasn't going to get through this if he started second-guessing himself.

Someone came thumping down the stairs -- a slender man with a riot of dark curls. Will had only seen him from far away before, and, though he knew Charlie was only five years younger than Don, Will kept wanting to use the word "boy" to describe him.

"Hey, did I hear Don?" Charlie called then stopped and stared. Will found himself impaled by a pair of big brown eyes that fairly glowed with intelligence and curiosity.

"Do I know you?" Charlie asked.

With Charlie's arrival, Don almost seemed to shrink, to withdraw into himself, like a sea anemone withdrawing into the coral for protection. Then, just as abruptly, Don straightened up and bristled, now like a pufferfish determined to defend its territory against a shark. "No, Charlie," Don said. "This is Will."

"Hi," Charlie said, his bright eyes sweeping over Will.

"Charlie," Will said, holding out his hand. "I've heard so much about you." _Though highly colored by Don's inferiority complex._

Charlie took the hand and shook it slowly, his hand dry and unexpectedly calloused against Will's. "I bet Don's told you the most embarrassing stories he knows."

"Not at all," Will said, pulling his hand from Charlie's distracted grip. "Everyone in LA envies the FBI their amazing mathematician."

"Oh?" Charlie said, brightening.

Will held back a smile. It was too easy to read Charlie. He was like a child, eager for praise from his elders.

"Where's your boy tonight?" Don asked.

For a second, Will didn't know what Don meant, and then he realized _Colby _and all urge to smile fled. Did Don want Colby here for comparison purposes? Or was Will just here to show Colby what he missed?

"He had to do laundry," Charlie said grumpily. "Said that if he didn't, he was gonna have to start showing up at work in a garbage bag."

"Hmm," Don said, and Will could tell that Don was picturing Colby in that garbage bag. A jolt of jealousy shot through Will, so painful that he had to clench his fists to keep from crying out. He'd managed to suppress all memory of Colby, file him away in the category of things to deal with when his relationship with Don was stronger. Why had he insisted they come over here? He'd forgotten that Colby would be included as part of this family.

"Are you here for a case?" Charlie asked Will.

It took all of Will's undercover training to answer casually. "Nope. Just dinner. And to meet Don's family."

"Meet his …" Charlie's eyebrows shot up. "You and him?"

"Yeah," Don said, reaching for Will's hand in a way that helped slightly to settle Will's jangling nerves. "Me and him."

"Wow!" Charlie said, his eyes growing wide. "That's weird but cool!"

Will blinked at this easy acceptance. First Don's father then his brother … You'd think Don brought boyfriends over all the time. "You do have an odd family," he mumbled.

Charlie laughed, looking even younger, then, with a last speculative glance at Will, headed towards the kitchen. Don watched him go, the bristly defensiveness muted but still present.

Will mentally set aside his own fears and focused on the task at hand, convincing Don that Charlie wasn't going to steal him. He squeezed Don's hand. "See, that wasn't so bad."

"Not yet," Don grumbled, still staring at the door to the kitchen.

Will shook his head and gently tilted Don's face up for a soft kiss. He urged reassurance into the kiss and, unexpectedly, received some back from Don.

Will pulled away and took Don's hand. "It's a nice house."

"Yeah," Don said, and kept hold of Will's hand as they walked into the front room. "I grew up here. Really strange that my brother now owns it. But I still think of it as my parents' house."

"Your mom?" Will asked.

"She died a few years ago. Cancer."

Will grimaced, he'd forgotten. "I'm sorry."

Don stopped in the middle of the room and seemed a little at a loss, so Will sat on the couch and encouraged Don to sit next to him.

Will reached for a neutral topic. "I saw blueprints in the dining room, what are they for?"

"My dad has always had blueprints around," Don said. "He's doing consulting right now too."

Will responded and they carried on a conversation, neither paying much attention to what they were saying, just chattering on automatic. Cautiously, in case it made Don uncomfortable, Will put his arm around Don. With a soft sigh, Don leaned into Will. That small gesture brought an unexpected lump to Will's throat. He was with his boyfriend, showing affection in his boyfriend's parents' house, just like a heterosexual couple could. Don snuggled closer and Will tightened his hold.

Mr. Eppes approached from the kitchen, clearing his throat noisily. Don jerked away from Will, but Will forgave him because Don was blushing like a teenager who'd gotten caught necking with his date.

Will smiled at Mr. Eppes, who smiled back, perhaps sharing amusement at Don's out-of-character prudishness.

The dish of lasagna that Mr. Eppes was holding smelled promising. "Got enough for an extra plate?"

"Are you kidding?" Mr. Eppes said, "With this recipe, if my boys don't eat too, I'm drowning in lasagna for a week."

Don and Will got to their feet and followed Don's father to the table. Charlie came out of the kitchen with two extra place settings and many searching glances at Will. Will resisted the urge to see if he'd suddenly grown horns. Mr. Eppes set the lasagna down and went back to the kitchen.

"Sit! Eat!" Charlie said. "Or else it's lasagna leftovers for me, too."

Mr. Eppes returned with a steaming basket of garlic bread and served everyone a slice then a generous portion of lasagna.

Schooling his face in case he needed to control a gag reflex, Will took a judicious taste of the lasagna. He was pleasantly surprised. "This is excellent, sir."

"It's Alan," Mr. Eppes said, "It's an old family recipe from the homeland." He shook his head and laughed. "Actually, it's from a restaurant that Don's mother and I used to go to all the time. When they were closing, I got the chef to give me the recipe."

Will nodded and was reaching for his glass of water when Mr. Eppes said, "So, tell us about yourself."

Will blinked. Next to him, Don chuckled.

"What," Mr. Eppes said cheerfully, "you thought I was gonna be so shocked that you were gonna get out of the customary quizzing?"

_Well, actually, yes. _He couldn't help but compare Mr. Eppes's direct and pleasant method to the oblique and hostile questions that Don would get if he ever met Will's family. _Not going to happen, not if I can help it._

Now, he just had to prove that he was safe, non-threatening and worthy to date an Eppes.

He took a drink of water then put on his best 'I'm harmless' smile. "Where should I start?"


	3. Ch 3: Will Makes Conversation

_There was a moment I prayed for my soul_

_I was crawlin' and hidin' in a deep dark hole_

_I cried in the morning_

_I cried in the night_

_I was a drifter caught in the wind_

_Prepared to lose but I was tryin' to win _

_And I was breakin' all the records _

_On givin' in_

Kasey Chambers, "Sign on the Door"

**Part 3 – Will Makes Conversation**

As soon as Will had smiled his 'I'm harmless' smile, he knew he'd miscalculated. Mr. Eppes's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms. _Never forget_, Will chided himself, _That no man who fathered Don and Charlie is going to be an idiot._

Mr. Eppes said coolly, "How about where you met my son?"

Will instantly saw the image of fiery Don addressing a crowd of law enforcement agents about Charlie and Colby's kidnapping. That was the image that had been seared into Will's mind, the image of the incredible man he couldn't have, yet later somehow ended up in his bed … Following upon that image was another vivid one of Don embracing Charlie, after they'd found Colby and Charlie alive, against all odds, at the bottom of a pit where the kidnappers had shot and tossed them.

Will said, "Actually, sir—"

"Alan," Don's father interrupted.

Will didn't feel like arguing the point, so he just said, "Actually, _Alan_, it was when your other son was kidnapped."

Mr. Eppes winced and reached out for the hand of that son.

Will said, "You know that Don called in just about everybody with a badge and that meant the DEA too. I met Don there, in a way." _He totally blew me away. I actually saved his life that day, not that he noticed – he was too focused on finding his brother and his agent._

With a wry smile, Will added, "He was busy."

Mr. Eppes squeezed Charlie's hand.

Will continued, "I just sort of …" _Researched, stalked, obsessed over. _"… Kept an eye out for him after that."

"I'm glad you did," Mr. Eppes said quietly. He held Will's gaze, and a multitude of emotions were there in his eyes for Will to see – gratitude, warning, concern, curiosity.

"You're DEA?" Charlie asked. "Not FBI?"

Will blinked, breaking away from Mr. Eppes, and said to Charlie, "Yeah, a Fed of a different color."

Mr. Eppes let go of Charlie's hand and gave himself a small shake. He said, with a slightly forced smile, "Another Fed. Donnie, couldn't you have found a nice unemployed artist or street musician?"

It was such an odd thing to say, so opposite from what Will's parents would say, that Will startled himself by laughing.

Don smiled and leaned over. "Do you juggle?"

Will laughed again, easier this time. "I've tried a few times, but I'm no Flying Karamazov Brother."

"Flying what?" Charlie asked.

"Great act," Mr. Eppes said.

"You've heard of them?" Will asked.

"They've been around since the early seventies," Mr. Eppes said. "How about you?"

"Uh," Will said, startled, "Thereabouts."

"Dad," Don protested. "Are you seriously asking if he's old enough for me?"

Mr. Eppes shrugged and continued his questions, "Why the DEA?"

"Figured I'd be good at it," Will said.

"I think that was Don's reason for joining the FBI. What did—"

"—and he is good at it," Don interrupted. "So you might want to lay off or he'll track down your stash. He's that good."

"Don!" Will said, divided between horror that Don would say that to his father and curiosity about what Don had heard about him in the DEA.

"You've never found it in years of looking," Mr. Eppes said, unfazed. "If you bring him here, expect us to be curious."

Don grumbled under his breath and reached for another helping of lasagna.

"It's fine," Will told Don. "I don't mind."

But Will did mind the next question out of Mr. Eppes's mouth. "What did your parents think of you joining the DEA?"

Will grimaced and took a long drink of water as he debated how to answer. "They weren't pleased."

Mr. Eppes's eyebrows went up. "Why do I get the impression that that is a gross understatement? What did they say?"

Will reached for his water glass again and noticed his hand was shaking. He didn't really want to go into things that even Don didn't know. His past was a messy box to open.

"New topic," Don said flatly.

Mr. Eppes frowned and started to say something.

Grimly, Don said, "Will, can you get me another beer?"

Don's current beer was only half-finished, but Will got up quickly and headed towards the kitchen.

When the kitchen door closed after him, Will stopped, closed his eyes, and composed himself. Then he got the beer and, looking around, dawdled in the kitchen. He found the recipe for the lasagna and read it with interest.

When he hoped the right amount of time had passed, Will took the beer back to the dining room. Alan and Don were glaring at each other and Charlie was looking between them anxiously.

"Tarragon," Will said. "I should have realized."

Three Eppes faces turned towards him with varying expressions of mystification.

"The lasagna," Will said cheerfully. He handed Don the beer and sat down. "That's your secret ingredient. I should have tasted it."

Don grabbed the beer and opened it. Will noticed that his other beer, which had been half-empty when Will went into the kitchen, was now empty.

"I like to cook," Will said. "Though Italian isn't my forte."

Mr. Eppes looked surprised. "I thought all Feds survived on take-out."

Will smiled. "Most do. I like cooking."

"He's a good cook," Don said. "Korean stuff and other stuff."

"Stuff?" Will said with feigned insult. "You're calling my cooking 'stuff'?"

A smile suddenly split Don's face. "Well, I'm always 'stuffed' afterwards."

Will rolled his eyes and said to Charlie and Mr. Eppes, "I apologize if he hasn't been coming over to dinner as often."

"I figured he was busy," Mr. Eppes said.

The smile spread to Don's eyes and he grinned at Will. "I have been _very_ busy with Will. You want details, Dad?"

Mr. Eppes threw up his hands. "No, thank you. Fine, I won't ask questions, you just tell me what you want to."

Will could almost see Don sorting through what he knew about Will to find the least controversial.

"He got a degree from Pomona College in Sociology," Don said at last.

"Wow, really?" Mr. Eppes said.

"That's a Claremont College," Charlie said. "Did you have classes at Harvey Mudd?"

"You remember that?" Will asked Don. He was surprised, considering that he'd told Don that months ago and Don had been in terrible shape at the time.

Don gave him an 'of course I do' look. Will wondered what else Don remembered. _Hell, I wonder what else I told him. Neither of us was quite sane those __first __few days._

"Uh, yeah," Will said in answer to Charlie's question. "A few classes there, but more at Scripps and Pitzer."

"Sociology?" Mr. Eppes said, leaning forward. "That sounds really interesting."

"It was," Will said. "A totally worthless B.A. but very interesting."

"What B.A. isn't worthless but interesting?" Mr. Eppes smiled. "If I'd have had the time, I'd have gotten a dozen degrees. I'm auditing a few classes at CalSci now."

"Oh?" Will said. "What classes?"

As Mr. Eppes started to tell him about the classes, Don reached over and put his hand on Will's thigh. He gave Will's leg a squeeze and smiled. Will smiled back, relieved at how much better Don was looking. Maybe it was the two beers, but Will hoped that Don was finally happy at how the evening was going.

Will asked Alan more about his Architecture class and Alan responded, then Will mentioned a book he'd read on 'personal space' in architecture and before Will was aware of it, they'd finished dinner, cleaned up and Don was scooping out ice cream for everyone. The conversation between the four of them had been fascinating and entertaining, ranging in topics from city planning to Charlie's reaction at the first time that Don brought home a girlfriend. Other than recent talks with Don, Will hadn't had this good of a conversation since …

Will realized uncomfortably that it had been years since he'd talked with someone that wasn't work-related or someone who he was hoping to sleep with – or both. He didn't really have any close friends, and his family was out of the question. Other than work, aikido, and … more work, he didn't really have anything in his life. He'd never thought of himself as lonely, but that was certainly what he'd been. Until Don.

Will smiled over at Don, who was licking melted ice cream off his fingers. That Don, who was so wonderful in himself, would come with such a family … Will didn't really know how to handle such luck. He was just going to have to get used to it and maybe someday he might even believe that he could become a part of this family and banish loneliness forever.

Once he got Charlie sorted out.


	4. Ch 4: Will Makes His Move

_You came in like the lightnin' from the sky_

_Picking up the pieces in the middle of the night_

_I cried 'oh baby, I'm broken_

_There's a price you're gonna pay'_

_And you jumped in the fire and you saved me any way_

**Part 4—Will Makes His Move**

Charlie watched Will throughout dinner. At times, Charlie seemed like a scientist who had just discovered an interesting new species, _boyfriendus brotherus_. At other times, Charlie's eyes were definitely lustful, and Will had no idea what to do with that. Subtlety certainly wasn't Charlie's strong suit. Or maybe it didn't need to be. Alan and Don had to realize that Charlie was staring, but they didn't comment or perhaps even notice. Was Charlie given that much special treatment? Complete latitude in terms of social niceties because of his genius? It grated on Will. He wanted to tell Charlie to keep his eyes to himself, but he was a guest here and he had to make a good impression. Will was certainly learning a lot about Don this evening, and not just in the stories that Charlie and Alan were telling.

Finally, Will looked around the table and confirmed that everyone was finished with their dessert. "Great supper, sir," he said. He had to add – because in spite of everything, he was still his mother's son –"Let me do the dishes."

Alan gasped theatrically and grabbed his chest. "And he cooks too? Don, this one might be a keeper." He gave Will a sideways look. "Are you sure you don't want to quit your Fed job and become a kindergarten teacher?"

Will laughed. "I don't think I could deal with that much danger."

Alan chuckled and helped Will pile up the dirty bowls. Will took a load into the kitchen and set them in the sink. Don followed behind him.

"You don't have to do the dishes," Don protested. "Dad already likes you."

"It's okay," Will said. "It's the polite thing to do. But I'm glad you think he likes me."

"I know so." Don picked up a dish towel. "Next he'll be asking you if your biological clock is ticking."

Will's mouth fell open.

Don snickered. "Kidding, kidding!"

"Uh," Will said, totally caught off-guard. He'd never considered kids.

Don laughed out loud. "You should see your face! God, Will, I'm totally kidding!"

"Good, good," Will managed.

Alan came through the kitchen door then and Don made a shushing gesture that Will understood to mean, 'Don't even let him know I was joking about that.'

"I'm going to need to get more ice cream if you always eat like this," Alan announced. "Because you'll be coming over a lot, right?"

"Yeah, Dad, when we can," Don said with a roll of his eyes.

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor, Will?" Alan asked.

Will picked up the lasagna dish from the counter and put it into the soapy hot water. "Depends on my mood and what meal it's following."

Don flicked Will with the dish towel. "Will's a food snob—"

"Because I don't want leftover Chinese takeout three nights in a row?"

"—So his favorite could be persimmon or something like that."

Will snorted. "You wouldn't know a persimmon if it bit you."

"Luckily the Bureau gives us persimmon vaccinations, doesn't the DEA?"

"Nope, but they give us vaccinations against you Feebs. Mine must have worn off."

"We get vaccinations against DEA agents, too. They're called rabies shots."

"Cute. Though it's you that's foaming at the mouth when I beat you at—"

"Oh!" Alan interrupted, leaving them grinning at each other. "Now I know where I've seen Will before!"

"Where, the animal pound?" Don asked.

"Oh, that's weak," Will teased.

"Not as weak as—"

"Baseball," Alan said. "A few weeks ago. You were the DEA pitcher that threw that bean ball at Don."

Will widened his eyes and said, "Me? No, that ball slipped!"

"Oh, really," Alan said wryly. "You looked like you had pretty good command to me."

Will straightened up, pleased. He'd worked hard to get good enough to pitch in time for the DEA vs. FBI game.

"I've seen faster fastballs from a 3-year-old," Don said.

"Fast enough to throw you out," Will reminded him.

"At third," Alan said, nodding. "I remember that. Charlie went on at great length about what a statistically unusual move that was for Don. I should have known something was up." Alan looked back and forth between them. "Let me guess, you hadn't seen each other for a while before then?"

"Yeah," Don said, surprised. "How did you—"

"Because you stopped moping that day."

"Moping? I wasn't—"

"For months," Alan told Will. "He'd been moping for months, ever since …" He waved his hand and they all knew what he was referring to.

"I wasn't moping," Don protested again.

"Like a teenager," Alan confided to Will. "I kept expecting him to break out in zits and want to borrow the car."

Will chuckled and raised his eyebrows at Don. He was ridiculously delighted that Don had been moping at the same time that Will himself had been.

"On that scoring point," Alan said cheerfully, "I'm going to go study the new plans Eddie sent me today. Feel free to let that lasagna pan soak for a while."

Will looked down at the pan that he'd been ineffectually scrubbing at. "I didn't see glue on the family recipe."

Alan laughed and left the kitchen.

"I wasn't moping," Don mumbled, sounding more like a teenager than ever.

"Well, I certainly was," Will said.

"No more," Don said and leaned over to kiss Will.

Will responded warmly. It had been way too many minutes since their last kiss.

"Well, hello," came from the kitchen door. Charlie was standing there, looking at them with an expression that Will couldn't interpret. "I wondered what was taking so long in here."

Don pulled back from Will with a sigh. "Why, Chuck, you want us to be gone?"

"No, no," Charlie said hastily. "I just wanted to ask Will where he would suggest I look for statistics on population density in comparison with level of education. I was thinking that would be a useful vector to explore in some of the analyses I do for your team."

Don nodded and put down his dish towel. He opened up the refrigerator and got out yet another beer. "Let the pan soak," he said to Will. "I know how hard my dad's lasagna is to scrape off."

He handed another beer to Will, though Will hadn't even drank half of his previous bottle, and popped the top off of his beer. "How about we go into the solarium? There's usually a nice breeze this time of night."

"Okay," Charlie said and got out a glass and a pitcher of lemonade.

Don left and Will followed him upstairs to a small but glorious solarium. It was Craftsman design and theory at its best. Don cranked open the windows – Will was betting made of the original glass – and plopped down on the couch with his beer. Will sat next to him.

"You okay, babe?" Will asked, scooting closer.

"Mm, sure," Don said unconvincingly.

"What—" Will started but Charlie walked into the room and Will was obliged to start discussing statistics. It was a topic that usually interested him, but he was having trouble paying attention to it. He didn't like the distant look in Don's eyes. _Damn it. I'm going to have to do it. Prove to him that Charlie wasn't going to be stealing me from him in _any_ universe. Damn it, damn it._

When a natural pause in the conversation came, Will set down his bottle of beer, still untouched. He took a deep breath and told himself, _You better know what you're doing._ Then he stood up and said, "Come here, Charlie. Got something to prove to your big brother."

Charlie stood up, a grin of curiosity on his face as if he expected some sort of joke.

Will took two steps and grabbed Charlie's right shoulder with one hand and his chin with the other. He tilted Charlie's surprised face up. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to Charlie's.

Charlie tasted like lemonade and coffee and his hands clutched at Will's shirt – pulling him closer, not pushing him away. He kissed Will back, with interest, and it was Will's turn to be surprised.

Will was tempted to pull away, but he needed to make this a real shot, a true test. He deepened the kiss and Charlie opened up to him, leaning backwards. Instinctively, Will kissed him harder, bending him farther back and moving his fingers to those spots on Charlie's head and neck that would make Charlie feel even more unbalanced, more under Will's control. Charlie moaned, something more felt than heard, and went completely pliant. His body pressed against Will's in an unmistakable entreaty.

Will broke the kiss and pushed Charlie away. Charlie stumbled back, his eyes wide and his hand on his mouth. He stared at Will.

And Will knew that look.

It was the look of a true sub who had just been given a taste of Dominance for the first time. Will knew, beyond a doubt, that if he gave one word of command, that Charlie – forgetting his boyfriend, brother, father - would drop to his knees right now, right here, and agree to any sexual favors that Will could imagine.

Will felt sick.

He turned his back on Charlie. Don was standing close by, his face white, his hands clenched into fists. He radiated anger, outrage – those Will had expected. What Will hadn't expected was what was written in Don's shoulders, his eyes – resignation, defeat, despair. Don truly believed that Charlie could take Will away from him.

In that moment, Will hated Charles Eppes with a passion that eclipsed any hatred he'd felt in a long time. All his life, Charlie had taken anything he wanted, demanded all the attention, dwarfed any of Don's successes, shaped Don's life.

And Don, Will's strong, confident, powerful Don, let him do it.

Staring at Don, Will uttered the words he had planned, though he little felt them at the moment. "Nice. He is sweet, but—"

Don swung a punch at him and Will was glad. Though Don believed he would lose, at least he was trying to fight for him. Will grabbed Don's wrist and pulled him close, needing Don's body to banish the lingering impression of Charlie's. Don struggled against him, and Will rejoiced in this sign of fire.

"There, _aein_," Will said roughly. "I've tried your baby brother and I still much prefer you."

"You are a bastard," Don growled.

"Yes, you're just figuring that out?" Will snapped. _Is that all you have to say?_

Grimly, Will turned his head to look at Charlie and used his other rehearsed line: "I apologize, but your brother wasn't going to believe me unless I actually sampled the competition."

Charlie's blinked at him, frowning as if he was just now realizing what an odd thing had just happened. "Competition?"

Don struggled and Will released him. Don threw himself on the couch and reached for his beer with a trembling hand. He took a long swallow, then stared at the bottle.

Will sat across from him and fixed his gaze on Don, willing him to understand, to see Will's point. To finally get rid of that damn shadow of fear in the back of his eyes.

Will didn't look at Charlie, didn't want Charlie to see the anger and desperation that he was trying so hard to hide from him. But not from Don. _Look at me, Don. _

_Does Charlie really need me to spell it out? He has to realize what he did._ Will said succinctly, "Don here seems to think you're a boyfriend snatcher."

_Look at me, Don. Please understand and look at me._

"But I would never …" Charlie said innocently. _Yeah, right. You would in a heartbeat because you don't care about your brother nearly as much as yourself._

"Colby," Don explained. "And David."

Charlie sucked in his breath and Will looked up, wondering was sort of denials Charlie would make. But, to his surprise, Will saw true confusion and distress on Charlie's face.

Charlie raised his hands as if to ward off his brother's accusation and stammered, "I … I didn't know, I didn't mean to … We just … and I … then he told me … and I realized …"

Will stared at Charlie, stared at him, and his anger towards the younger Eppes melted away. Charlie wasn't malicious, he was just clueless. Whatever God or Fate or genetics had gifted him with his mathematical genius, it had equally shortchanged him in the area of emotional intelligence. He truly hadn't meant to steal anyone's boyfriend, sabotage anyone's romance. Charlie had no idea what sort of damage he'd done to Don, what sort of damage he'd done to Don his entire life. And for Charlie's sake, Will hoped that Charlie would never understand. Looking at how horrified Charlie was right now at the thought he might have really hurt Don, Will wasn't sure that Charlie could survive such a revelation.

Don was also looking at Charlie and must have seen the same thing in Charlie's eyes. Don sighed and shrugged. "I know, I just …" He waved his hand and it seemed to encompass an entire lifetime of understanding. Will shook his head in amazement – only a true hero would make such a sacrifice for someone who would never realize that any sacrifice had been required.

_Though there's such a thing as _too much_ self-sacrifice …_ Will finished Don's sentence with "He's just an idiot."

"Okay, yeah," Charlie said but it was clear that he still didn't understand.

_It's very simple,_ Will wanted to tell him. _You took away the man Don loved so much that he self-destructed. But there is a silver lining here, okay maybe a tin lining. It left Don in so bad a shape that he was willing to turn to me._ Instead, Will just said, "But Colby's loss is my gain."

Finally, Don looked at him, but for the wrong reason. Will had brought up the forbidden subject. He should have not said anything. The last topic that he wanted to talk with Don about was Colby Granger. He wasn't ready.

Don stood up and said to Charlie, "Go somewhere else for a few minutes, okay?"

Grimacing, Will looked down at the floor and it was his turn to avoid Don's gaze. Will reached once more for his undercover training. He needed to be able to answer with a smile to whatever Don was going to say to him, whatever excuses he would make, whatever promises he would offer. He wasn't ready, but whether this talk came now or later didn't matter. He'd never be ready.

Will didn't really blame Don. It was the way the human heart was – capricious and cruel. Colby Granger was no idiot. In time, he would tire of his flashy new lover and realize the real gold in the family was Don. And Don, despite all of his completely sincere vows of love to Will, would go back to Colby. After all, Colby was the man who'd driven Don to attempt suicide. Any gesture from Colby that he might want Don back and Don would have to – for pride if nothing else – try again. He wouldn't be able to resist stealing back his brother's lover. He'd be apologetic to Will, sad, but he'd leave anyway. Will would return to his former quiet life.

Will didn't look up at Don because he knew how this would end. It was just a matter of time.


	5. Ch 5: Will Makes Up His Mind

_A/N: This is modified slightly from the original to meet FF ratings standards. The original is on my livejournal page._

_You came around while I was walkin' on the wire_

_And you stood there underneath me_

_And you saved me from the fire_

_And God might be the king_

_In the land of the free_

_But you're the blessed saviour_

_You're the one I need_

_--KaseyChambers, "Sign on the Door"  
_

_

* * *

  
_

**Part 5 – Will Makes Up His Mind**

Will heard Don crouch down before him. His hands took hold of Will's. It was cowardly, Will knew, but he kept his gaze on the carpet. He didn't want to see what might be in Don's eyes – he was afraid it would not be his own face reflected there.

Will had never met Don's old boyfriend, but he'd seen him a few times. Colby Granger was blond, with light-colored eyes and a classic Anglo-Saxon body and face – An All American Boy. In short, everything Will was not.

"Colby is gone, past," Don said, his voice quiet but firm. "He's just my co-worker and friend and brother's boyfriend, nothing more."

_Just leave it at that, Stevens. Don't draw this out, don't debate, don't – _"But you wanted him to be more." Will couldn't stop himself, the words came tumbling out. "You said that if you hadn't messed it up, you'd be with him. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

There was a moment of silence and Will felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. No matter how he told himself he would survive, he didn't believe it.

Don squeezed his hands and said softly, "Colby's great, but falling in love with Colby was like getting shot with a pellet gun and falling in love with you was like getting nailed with an RPG. No real comparison."

That made Will's lips twitch. _What a 'guy' way to put it._ He muttered, "Interesting analogy."

"I believe," Don continued, his voice husky, "that even if I had done everything right with Colby, that you and I would still have ended up together somehow."

That surprised Will and he looked up. Don was watching him closely, and his dark, intense eyes held no one but Will.

Don gave him an encouraging smile. "I believe that, I have to believe that. It wouldn't be fair if the greatest love of my life passed me by because I did something _right_."

'Greatest love of my life' rang in Will's ears but he had to protest, "Life's not fair." He'd spent his whole life fighting that inescapable fact.

"No, it's not," Don agreed. "So let's just consider it a miracle that we found each other and not worry about it."

_Not worry about it? How could Don say he wouldn't go back to Colby, make that sort of promise when … wait …_

Will sucked in a shaky breath.

_Will Stevens, you are an arrogant bastard. You think that you're the only one in the world who can really love someone? Make promises you can keep? Get over yourself! If you, with your oh-so-stellar history, can manage to commit, then someone like Don, someone with actual integrity, certainly can commit._

Will took a deeper breath. _If you want him to believe you about Charlie, then you're going to have to believe him about Colby, it's that simple._ _You don't want to drive him to kiss Colby in front of you, do you? _The idea of it made Will's stomach twist and he vowed never to push Don that far. _At least I don't have a lifetime of jealousy to fight against. _He shook himself and gave Don a wry smile. "You're still an idiot."

Don smiled back, relief evident on his face. "You're still a bastard." Standing up, he pulled Will to his feet as well. "And if you ever kiss my brother again, I'll shoot you."

_Oh, once was more than enough._ Will pulled Don close, into his arms. Charlie had felt wrong, but Don felt so right, fit so perfectly in his embrace. As for shooting … "I get the feeling that I'm going to have to deal with that anyway when I first meet Colby, assuming Charlie tells him."

Don locked his hands together at the small of Will's back. "Oh, he'll tell him, thinking it was strange or funny. He never realizes consequences."

Finally, _finally, _Will's sense of humor kicked in and he was able to see how absurd things were. "Yeah, well. Even if Colby does shoot me, it was almost worth it to see the look on your face."

"Bastard," Don growled. Yet in that moment, Will knew that he'd made the right gamble. Don was relaxing against him in a way that he hadn't since Will had proposed meeting Don's family.

Relief coursed through Will. A knot loosened between his shoulders and he had to admit to himself that he hadn't been as sure about kissing Charlie as he'd pretended.

He had always felt things strongly, and sometimes in quick succession. One generous friend had called him 'changeable', but less charitable things people had called him included 'unstable', 'fickle,' 'neurotic,' and 'a goddamn ping-pong ball'. Even for Will, however, this had been a rough evening. He just wanted to go somewhere private and just _be_ with Don.

He kissed Don then, trying to put into that kiss all of the craziness and promises and love that he was offering to Don. Don kissed him back, taking custody of all Will offered and holding it, and Will, safe.

Will would have been fine standing there forever, arms and hearts entwined, but Don finally pulled back. He looked up at Will with a smile that promised one thing – sex.

"You know, _aein_," Don said. "My bedroom from when I was a kid is still upstairs, mostly the same.

_Aein._ Will got a warm little thrill whenever Don called him that. Will had only been waiting his whole life for the right man to use it with. He smiled at Don, pretending innocence of his intentions. "Want me to see what the teenage Don was like?"

"That too," Don said, his voice husky, "but mostly I want to 'show' you my old bed, where I jerked off so many times, thinking of hot and willing partners."

An entirely different sort of warm thrill went through Will. "With your dad and brother home and awake?"

"Yeah."

"Oooh," Will said. "Kinky. I like it."

"If I ever suggest a kink that you don't like the sound of," Don laughed. "I may faint."

_Oh, Don, you think you're experienced, but you're just a babe in the woods. _Will grinned. "You have no idea how weird things can get." Then Will remembered some of those times and some of those relationships and how destructive most of them were. He shook his head. "Or how bad they can get." _Yet none of them had even a part of what we've got now_. "But as long as we're together, there is nothing we can't handle."

"Nothing in this horrid, evil world," Don agreed with a happy sigh.

"A world that has you in it can't be all bad," Will said and was honestly surprised to feel that way. It'd been a long time since Will had been able to see the world as anything other than a cesspool.

"Or you, my love," Don replied, his arms tightening around Will.

Will looked down at him and thought, _I know one kink that I'm never going to do – share you. You're mine, just mine._ "My ugly monkey."

Don laughed and Will tried to maintain an air of wounded confusion, but he was just in too good of a mood. Don had not only embraced Will's private endearment, but he'd added to it, making it a shared invention.

Don gave him a mock 'interrogation eye'. "One of these days I'm going to have to find a Korean dictionary—"

"I have a couple."

Don snorted. "I know you have a couple, but I need one that has English and phonetics, not those characters."

"Picky, picky."

"And I'm gonna look up what _aein_ actually means."

"Not gonna just take my word for it?"

"Will," Don said wryly, "I'm getting to know you too well. You'd think it was hilarious for us to be calling each other something that meant _both_ 'beloved' and 'ugly monkey.'"

Will chuckled. Don was indeed getting to know him well. He'd despaired of ever finding someone who got, at least most of the time, his strange sense of humor. "Oh, that would be good."

"See why I can't trust you?" Don declared.

Will loved the fact that Don was so confident that he _could_ trust Will that he could joke about it. And Will trusted him right back. _God, that feels good._ Will was so glad that he'd had the nerve to propose the pact of always telling the truth in their relationship, no matter how ugly. That Don agreed, needing that same bare truth, just showed how in sync they were.

_Speaking of sync …_ Will smiled and kissed Don on the nose. "Now we better go find your brother and convince him that we're okay."

Don's eyes lit up. "Then we're gonna ditch him, go to my room, and I'm going to show you what a horny teenager I was."

"As opposed to the usual horny adult?"

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet."

Will quirked an eyebrow. "I've seen all of you, many times."

"I'm sure I've still got a few surprises left."

Will laughed in delight. "I don't doubt it, _aein_. I don't doubt it at all."

As they moved towards the doorway, Don asked. "So when am I going to meet _your_ family?"

Will ignored the twinge of dread and said cheerfully, "Never, if I have any say in it."

Don stopped short. "What?"

Will continued as if Don hadn't spoken. "Except for Cindi, one of my sisters, you two would get along great. She's a baseball freak, a VP for the Angels, can you believe it? She can get us great seats any time."

"Will …"

"She's always after me to come to a game. She'll be shocked if I actually say yes sometime."

"Will …"

"We should find out when the Dodgers are playing, though I'm not much into interleague—"

"_Will!_"

"Hmm?"

Don jerked Will around to look at him. "You don't want your family to meet me?"

"I don't mind them meeting you," Will said with forced lightness. "I just don't want them anywhere in your vicinity."

Don frowned. "What's going on?"

Will sighed, his mood dropping again. _I'm going to need a motion sickness bag._ "You know how I said way back when, when we first met, that my family and I had reached a truce about me being gay?" He shrugged. "That was rather an exaggeration. The truce holds as long as they don't talk to me, see me, or remember I exist. Except for Cindi, she's always been on my side."

Squeezing Will's hand, Don asked quietly, "It's that bad?"

Will gave a close imitation of a casual shrug. "Joining the DEA made me a double black sheep. I haven't spoken to my parents in … I think I managed to stay for a whole hour at the family Christmas dinner this year, and that was just because my father was absent and my mother was in the kitchen."

Don grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. How about I dump my family and adopt yours?"

"Even Charlie?"

Will gave him a sideways smile. "Especially Charlie. That boy needs all the looking after he can get."

The slightly strained smile Don gave him told Will that he was going to be battling that demon for a long time.

"Otherwise," Will continued, "He might go around randomly kissing other people's boyfriends."

Don's smile widened. "Charlie would argue that there is no such thing as true randomness. Or at least, humans are incapable of it."

"So you're saying that if I randomly kiss a bunch of guys, I'd subconsciously be choosing the ones that remind me of you?"

"It would be a small data set," Don responded, "Since I'd shoot you after the first few."

Will laughed. "Smarts and violence – Just what I love in a boyfriend."

"Me, too," Don grinned. He took Will's other hand and stepped closer to him. "You know, we'd never used that word 'boyfriend' before tonight with each other."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Are you okay with it?"

"Yeah, sure, until they come up with something better."

Reassured, Will gave another metaphorical tug on Don's bisexual closet door and asked, "So, are you going to start introducing me to as your boyfriend to people?"

Don gave a half shrug. "To the important people, yeah. As for my department and stuff, I'm going to have to come up with something subtle."

"So I shouldn't put up a 10-story high billboard across from your office building?"

"More subtle," Don laughed.

"Standing on your desk with a bullhorn?"

"Even more subtle."

"Sticky notes on everyone's desk?"

Don was smiling. "Even _more_ subtle."

Will pulled Don a little closer. "Leaning over your shoulder as you work and whispering in your ear?"

"Hmm, what would you say?"

"'Hands off, boys and girls, this man is mine.'"

Don chuckled. "Yep, I am, no matter what idiot stunt you try."

Will grinned back. "And I'm yours, no matter how hard you try to get rid of me."

"Like an itchy rash?"

"Or something stuck on the bottom of your shoe."

"A smelly dog that follows you home."

"A Feeb that can't keep his hands to himself."

Don laughed. "Or a drug agent that wouldn't want me to."

"True …"

"Okay, c'mon," Don said, tugging on Will's hands. "Let me show you my bed—I mean, show you the rest of the house."

"Alright, but first ..." Will pulled Don against him, wrapped his arms tight around him and gave him a big noisy kiss.

Just because he could.

* * *

_Open up the sky_

_All gather around_

_Praise the Lord and_

_Take a look at what I found_

_I got love that's as big as raging storm_

_I got walls coming down that I don't need no more_

_I got a sign on the door that says, 'Lonely don't live here anymore'_

_--Kasey Chambers, "Sign on the Door"  
_


End file.
